The fight against the climate crisis has sparked a host of ambitious ideas, some seemingly straight from science fiction. From technologies that directly capture carbon dioxide from the air to the planet-bending goals of geoengineering, no idea seems too far-fetched in the race to cool down our burning planet. With good reason: the accelerating climate and biodiversity crises impact the world’s poorest countries hardest, and urgent action is necessary.

But what if the answer to climate change was as simple and timeless as nature itself? That's the philosophy at the heart of nature-based solutions. If supported properly, nature could hold the key to stabilizing the climate, all while addressing socio-economic challenges such as food security and pandemic prevention. 

That’s why supporting them is a key part of Defending the Planet. Let’s dig into the concept so that we can identify the solutions that will work best to protect people and the planet. So, what are nature-based solutions, and how can we unlock their full potential?

Let’s Nail Down the Basics: What Exactly Are Nature-Based Solutions? 

Simply put, a nature-based solution is a project that works in harmony with the natural forces of an ecosystem to strengthen it, creating positive ripple effects for people and the climate. When successful, these projects protect, manage, and restore the environment. While nature-based solutions can take many forms, they all share a core principle: by working with the Earth rather than against it, we can build a more resilient and sustainable world. That’s why Global Citizen is calling for $1B in investments to protect and restore the Amazon, including investing in regional Indigenous-led, nature-based solutions. 

Projects that focus solely on minimizing human impact, like recycling or conserving water, are not considered nature-based. Instead, nature-based solutions encompass a more proactive, holistic approach to enhance a healthy ecosystem, like land conservation or wildlife habitat restoration.  

Why Have I Been Hearing So Much About Them Lately?

The truth is, nature-based solutions are far from new. Indigenous communities have successfully safeguarded the Earth’s ecosystems for centuries using conservation methods that work with nature; today, Indigenous people protect 80% of the world’s biodiversity. Now, more and more countries are incorporating nature-based solutions into their national climate, biodiversity, and restoration goals.

Nature-based solutions have gained momentum in both the public and private spheres. Companies have recognized that integrating them throughout their supply chains offers not only environmental and economic advantages, but also reputational benefits. This is significant, as private investment will be needed to secure the additional capital to bridge climate financing gaps.

Can You Give Some Examples of Nature-Based Solutions?

Here are just a few inspiring ones we love: 

Bringing Nature into Cities

Creating green spaces in cities moderates heat waves and improves air quality, which is critical for the health of an increasingly urbanized world where an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths can be attributed to outdoor air pollution. Megacities are incorporating more green infrastructure projects, such as Mumbai’s initiative to create a 3.2-acre urban forest to mitigate its urban heat island effect. These green spaces also offer additional and much-needed recreational space for residents. 

Restoring Coastal Wetlands

Wetlands provide many services such as flood protection and water filtration, and deliver an estimated $47 trillion in economic benefits annually. For example, a lake and marshland restoration project in Chennai, India, boosted the city’s water storage capacity​​, offered residents flood damage prevention, and improved water quality for native wildlife. 

Natural wetlands are also cost-effective: Restoring wetlands naturally can be 2 to 5 times cheaper than building artificial barriers, like sea walls, against wave impact. 

Mangrove wetlands are also superstars for cheaply and effectively preventing storm surges and sequestering carbon. In the Seychelles alone, they store about 2.5 million tons of CO2 (the equivalent of removing 500,000 cars from the planet for an entire year). 

Although the rate of mangrove loss is declining, more than half of all mangrove ecosystems are still considered vulnerable to collapse by 2050. But there are reasons to be hopeful — in some countries, such as Pakistan, the number of mangroves are increasing after successful widespread community planting and conservation efforts took root. 

Planting Trees

It may sound simple, but ambitious tree-planting programs are critical in ensuring the world’s forests can continue to function as a carbon sink. 11 countries across Africa are backing the "Great Green Wall," a regional initiative to expand arable land in the Sahel and reduce desertification. As an added benefit, it’s projected to create 10 million local jobs by 2030. National-level projects include this one in Burundi, where intentionally built tree terraces combat soil erosion on steep hillsides, reducing landslides while improving carbon storage and local agricultural productivity. 

Are There Any Drawbacks?

Like any intervention, nature-based solutions need to be designed thoughtfully to avoid unintended harm. Researchers and activists have raised alarms about greenwashing, arguing organizations might exaggerate these solutions’ benefits without properly monitoring their actual impact.

For example, without careful planning, large-scale tree-planting initiatives could actually harm native ecosystems and local communities. This happened in Somaliland after fast-growing, drought-tolerant mesquite trees from Central America were introduced in the 1980s to combat deforestation. The program worked a little too well: the foreign species outcompeted local vegetation, spreading quickly and depleting water sources across the country. Now, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other groups are working to reverse the damage by assisting local communities in managing these trees at more sustainable levels.

How Can We Best Support Nature-Based Solutions?

We can’t hope to halt and eventually reverse global warming without embracing natural climate solutions. If used to their full potential, nature-based solutions could cut carbon emissions by 12 gigatons each year (the estimated equivalent of all coal-fired power plant emissions). 

Delaying investments in nature will only diminish its capacity to heal and recover over time, yet many countries have only slowly integrated them into their climate plans. Rapidly expanding nature-based solutions to fight climate change requires site-specific assessments to best identify community needs and the leadership of local and Indigenous people to steer planning and implementation. 

More funding for these solutions is also needed. Policymakers tend to favor resource-intensive engineering projects — in 2022, less than 10% of climate adaptation funding in least-developed nations went to nature-based solutions. 

The good news? Nature can be forgiving. We’ve seen how when given the chance, rewilding can reverse the damage caused by pollution and human activity. Governments must prioritize what’s good for the planet by incentivizing investment in nature — before it becomes too little, too late.